Guest guest Posted August 12, 2004 Report Share Posted August 12, 2004 Thank you very much for this post. This is a little bit off-topic, but I use a tocotrienol formulation (Twin Lab Rice Bran Tocotrienols) therapeutically for my 3-year-old, who has a rare neurological disease called Familial Dysautonomia. A lab at Fordham found that gamma and delta tocotrienol increase production of a protein called IKAP that is in short supply in my son's body due to his disease, which is a genetic mutation that results in his cells producing a mutated/truncated form of the protein, with an adverse impact on his autonomic nervous system. This supplement keeps my son out of life-threatening autonomic crises (along with another supplement found by the same lab to actually cause the cells to not truncate the protein; this other supplement is EGCG, and enzyme from green tea). I have been ingesting the " empty " tocotrienol capsules after squeezing them into his liquified food (he is tube-fed; I use a Vita-mix to make his food), just thinking (gut feeling) it can't hurt me and might help. Now I see from your post that this compound may be protective against breast cancer. I have an increased risk because of an Ashkenazi Jewish background. I now think I will begin taking the tocotrienol myself, not just the empty capsule. --- In , " old542000 " <apater@m...> wrote: > Hi All, > > To " E " or Not to " E? Is that the question? > The below paper seems to suggest that > we should " E " ? > > The PDF is available for the below. > > It is not yet in Medline, but the author writes > > many " Abstract not available " NEWS AND ANALYSIS > papers. > > Cheers, Al Pater. > > NEWS AND ANALYSIS > Medical News & Perspectives > To " E " or Not to " E, " Vitamin E's Role in Health and Disease Is > the Question > M.J. Friedrich > JAMA. 2004;292:671-673. > BOSTON—From the pharmacy shelf to > the kitchen shelf, vitamin E has be-come > a common presence—not sur-prising > for a substance touted as some-thing > that can help prevent and treat > maladies ranging from cardiovascular > disease to cancer. A good deal of labo-ratory > data and results from epidemio-logical > and retrospective studies sup-port > the notion that vitamin E can help > ward off myocardial infarctions and > keep cancer at bay. > Findings from a variety of random-ized > controlled trials, however, have > failed to show consistent health ben-efits > and many questions remain un-answered > about this micronutrient. But > don't chuck the bottle of vitamin E into > the trash bin yet. A group of leading vi-tamin > E researchers gathered here in > May for a conference on Vitamin E and > Health sponsored by the New York > Academy of Sciences reviewed evi-dence > of the role this vitamin plays in > human health and disease and dis-cussed > new information that recently > has begun to emerge. > Vitamin E is known primarily as an > antioxidant that helps rid the body of > damaging free radicals, which can > wreak havoc on cells and DNA by in-creasing > the oxidative stress associ-ated > with many diseases. But the > vitamin also appears to perform nonan-tioxidant > functions that may benefit > health by exerting anti-inflammatory > actions and anticoagulant effects and by > regulating genes and immune func-tion. > A more nuanced understanding of > vitamin E's various functions is needed, > conference participants said, to deter-mine > the most useful approaches in us- > ing this substance to maintain health > and combat disease. > HEART HEALTHY? > Perhaps one of the most perplexing > questions surrounding vitamin E is its > role in cardiovascular disease. Oxida-tive > modification of low-density lipo-protein > cholesterol is considered a key > step in the initiation and progression > of atherosclerosis. Antioxidants such as > vitamin E have been studied to deter-mine > their ability to modulate such oxi-dative > damage and thereby decrease the > risk of heart disease. > But as J. Gaziano, MD, MPH, > of the Brigham and Women's Hospi-tal, > Boston, pointed out, the vitamin E > story is " a little unusual in epidemiol-ogy. " > While the basic science litera-ture > suggests plausible mechanisms by > which vitamin E can reduce athero-sclerotic > events and observational stud-ies > support this association, results from > clinical trials have been conflicting in > that some have shown a clinical ben-efit > (Lancet. 1996;347:781-786) while > others have not (Lancet. 1999;354:447- > 455; N Engl J Med. 2000;342:154- > 160). A recent meta-analysis of 7 ran-domized > trials of antioxidant vitamins > for the prevention of cardiovascular dis-ease > concluded that the data at this time > do not support the routine use of vita-min > E supplements for this purpose > (Lancet. 2003;361:2017-2023). > Researchers at the conference pointed > out that the clinical trials differed from > each other in a number of important as-pects, > such as selection of subjects, stage > of disease, end points, dosage, and > source of the vitamin—differences that > have contributed to the inconsistent > findings and that make the trials diffi-cult > to compare. Future trials that ad-dress > these limitations should help pro-vide > a clearer picture of vitamin E's role > in cardiovascular disease. > Another important issue, said Fran-cesco > Violi, MD, of the Universita La > Sapienza, Rome, is that not all pa-tients > at risk for cardiovascular dis-ease > have high levels of oxidative stress, > but no trial took this into account. > Therefore, said Violi, a more targeted > approach would be to include only pa-tients > with enhanced levels of oxida-tive > stress and low vitamin E plasma lev-els > in order to study those most likely > to benefit from antioxidant treatment. > BEYOND alpha-TOCOPHEROL > Most clinical trials designed to exam-ine > the ability of vitamin E to prevent > disease have included the form of vi-tamin > E called alpha-tocopherol, the most > abundant form of the vitamin and the > primary compound used in dietary > supplements. But recent molecular and > epidemiological studies have prompted > researchers to look beyond alpha-tocoph-erol > to the other forms of vitamin E such > as gamma-tocopherol. > Naturally occurring vitamin E is ac-tually > a complex of 8 chemical com-pounds: > 4 tocopherols (alpha, beta, gamma, and delta) > and 4 tocotrienols (alpha, beta, gamma, and delta). > While gamma-tocopherol (found in corn, soy-bean, > and sesame oils and walnuts, pea-nuts > and pecans) is the most common > form of vitamin E in the US diet, gamma-to-copherol > levels are generally 10 times > lower than levels of alpha-tocopherol in > plasma. For this and other reasons, sci-entists > have placed a greater focus on > alpha-tocopherol > Until recently, that is. Cancer re-searchers > in particular have begun to pay > closer attention to gamma-tocopherol. Inter-est > is shifting to the gamma compound in part > because results from a number of large, > prospective studies examining the pre-ventive > effects of alpha-tocopherol on can-cer > have been inconsistent. However, it > should be noted that one study did show > an association of alpha-tocopherol with a > reduced incidence of prostate cancer > (J Natl Cancer Inst. 1998;90:440-446). > These results will be explored further in > the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Pre-vention > Trial (SELECT), a large, pro-spective > trial of selenium and alpha-tocoph-erol > in more than 30000 men ( > http://www.nci.nih.gov/select ). > But could alpha-tocopherol be even more > effective when paired with the gamma com-pound? > A recent study showed that in-creased > levels of gamma-tocopherol were as-sociated > with a significantly reduced > risk of prostate cancer ( J Natl Cancer > Inst. 2000;92:2018-2023). The research-ers > also found that protective effects of > high concentrations of selenium and > alpha-tocopherol were only observed when > gamma-tocopherol concentrations were high. > This study and others are raising ques-tions > about gamma-tocopherol's effects on > other types of cancer. > COLON CANCER CONNECTION > Stone, PhD, of East Tennes-see > State University, City, and > colleagues are investigating whether > gamma-tocopherol can inhibit the growth of > colon cancer. He hypothesizes that in-tracellular > levels of vitamin E are more > important than plasma levels in pro-tecting > cells against the molecular > mechanisms that can lead to cancer. > Part of the rationale for his work > with gamma-tocopherol is that this com-pound > is taken up by colon cancer > cells much more effectively than > alpha-tocopherol. And when alpha- and > gamma-tocopherol are taken up together > into cells, the presence of gamma-tocopherol > increases the level of alpha-tocopherol. > These findings, said Stone, raise the > issue " of whether we can really think > of alpha- and gamma-tocopherol as separate, if > one influences the absorption of the > other. " > In addition, said Stone, gamma-tocoph-erol > has some unique properties that > alpha-tocopherol does not have, includ-ing > the ability to reduce nitrogen diox-ide > to antioxidant nitric oxide, along > with the ability to suppress the expres-sion > of the ras-p21 gene, which en-codes > a protein known to promote > oncogenesis. > In a study done in rats, Stone and col-leagues > found that gamma-tocopherol plays > a significant role in providing antioxi-dant > protection to the epithelial cells of > the colon and to fecal material (possi-bly > decreasing the production of mu-tagens > from the oxidation of fecal > lipids). In addition, they found that > expression of the cancer-promoting > gene ras-p21 was decreased by gamma-tocopherol, > but not alpha-tocopherol (Can-cer > Detect Prev. 2002;26:78-84). > Stone's group also examined the in-fluence > of gamma-tocopherol on the expres-sion > of another gene, peroxisome pro-liferator > activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma), > a promising target for colon cancer pre-vention. > Activation of PPAR-gamma with > drugs such as troglitazone can reduce > tumor growth by inhibiting cellular pro-liferation > and inducing programmed > cell death, or apoptosis, said Stone. > Because vitamin E possesses struc-tural > similarities to troglitazone, Stone's > group wanted to determine whether > vitamin E could also regulate PPAR-gamma. > In colon cancer cell studies, they found > that while both gamma- and alpha-tocopherol > could upregulate PPAR-gamma protein ex-pression > (produce more of the protein), > gamma-tocopherol was much better at this > task than its alpha cousin (BMC Cancer. > 2003;3:25). The effect, suggested Stone, > might be due to the ability of gamma-tocoph-erol > to accumulate at higher concen-trations > in colon cells. > TOCOTRIENOLS AND BREAST CANCER > Yet another form of vitamin E may be > a better preventive agent than alpha-to-copherol > in stemming breast cancer > growth. Tocotrienols, the major vita-min > E components in palm oil, seem > to be the more promising compounds > in breast tumors, said Kalanithi > Nesaretnam, PhD, of the Malaysian > Palm Oil Board, Kuala Lumpur. She > noted that the body naturally concen-trates > these compounds in adipose tis-sue, > the main type of tissue that con-stitutes > the breast. > Nesaretnam and colleagues have > demonstrated in cell culture and ani-mal > studies the ability of tocotrienols— > primarily the gamma and delta versions—to in-hibit > breast cancer cell growth in both > estrogen-dependent and estrogen-independent > cells (Lipids. 1998;33:461- > 469). Apoptosis is one of the mecha-nisms > by which tocotrienols may inhibit > tumor growth (Nutr Cancer. 1999;33: > 26-32). > Nesaretnam pointed out that that > alpha-tocopherol has been shown in some > studies to inhibit breast cancer cell > growth, but cell culture studies show in-hibiting > cancer cell growth requires > much higher levels of alpha-tocopherol than > of tocotrienols. (She noted that the form > of alpha-tocopherol that brought about in-hibition > in breast cancer cell lines is alpha-tocopherol > succinate—not alpha-tocoph-erol > acetate, which is what is found in > most commercial preparations of vita-min > E.) In addition, although alpha-tocoph-erol > succinate has been shown to achieve > inhibition of tumor growth in vivo, this > is seen only when the compound is in-jected > into the tumor. In contrast, her > group has found that tocotrienols taken > orally suppress breast tumor growth in > mice (Lipids. 2002;37:557-560). > Tocotrienols have been shown to po-tentiate > the antiproliferative effects of > tamoxifen in both estrogen-depen-dent > and estrogen-independent breast > cancer cells in culture. Using this as a > rationale, Nesaretnam and colleagues > have begun a clinical trial in Kuala > Lumpur to look at the effects of tocot-rienols > in combination with tamoxi-fen > in 240 women with stage 1 or 2 es-trogen- > dependent breast cancer. The > end points will be recurrence of dis-ease > and metastasis. > Using microarray technology to study > the specific genes regulated in breast > cancer cells by tocotrienols, Nesaret-nam's > group has identified a few genes > involved in inhibiting cell growth and > differentiation. These results suggest > that tocotrienols affect cell homeosta-sis > independently of their antioxidant > activity, she said. > NEW HORIZONS > While research continues into the > antioxidant actions of vitamin E, the > vitamin's nonantioxidant functions > are beginning to steal the spotlight, > said, Lester Packer, PhD, of the Uni-versity > of Southern California, Los > Angeles, one of the conference's orga-nizers. > In addition, vitamin E shows > promise in illnesses ranging from Alz-heimer > disease, preeclampsia, and > upper respiratory tract infections in > the elderly. > " Whole new approaches to under-standing > vitamin E in biological sys-tems > and in health and aging have > arisen in recent years, " he said. The > hope, said Packer and other experts, is > that such approaches will provide in-sights > that will open up new avenues > of research and lead to tangible ben-efits > for patients. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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